Sports

Jim Christian Receives NABC District 14 Coach Of The Year

The National Association of Basketball Coaches announced Friday that Ohio’s Jim Christian has been named the NABC Division I District 14 Coach of the Year, an honor voted on by each district’s group of head coaches.

It’s the second time Christian has received this accolade in his coaching career, as he won the same honor as a coach of the Kent State Golden Flashes in 2004. This is also the first time an Ohio coach has been honored since Jim Snyder was recognized in 1970.

The all-time winningest coach in Mid-American Conference history led the Bobcats to a 24-10 overall record and 14-2 record in the MAC. The team’s 14 wins were the most in program history in a 16-game conference slate and were good enough for a share of the conference regular season title.

Throughout the MAC season, the Bobcats made program history, as they became the first team since 1973-74 to start conference play 6-0 and to sweep MAC West opponents in a season.

Ohio also finished a program-best 7-1 on the road in MAC play and those seven wins are the highest since the 1985-86 season.

The Bobcats finished the season with 61-57 loss to Denver in the NIT, three days after Ohio didn’t make the NCAA Tournament by losing to Akron in the MAC Championship.

Their 24 victories marked the 14th time in program history for a team to reach 20-plus wins, and the Bobcats advanced to the conference championship game for the third time in four years.